Heroic porters helped save life

A team of porters have been named 'Employee of the Month' by the East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust.

The porters Jack Entwistle, Sandra Murdoch and Lewis Riley, along with research nurse Jillian Fitchett, were nominated for the accolade after their fantastic response to an incident where a hospital visitor needed emergency medical care.

Jack, Lewis and Sandy took immediate control of the situation which took place in the main entrance of Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital.

They were joined by Jill who performed CPR while the porters called the crash bleep and secured the scene from passers-by. All four staff acted quickly and professionally, and were able to maintain the dignity of the patient even in a shocking pressurised situation.

Medical Director Dr Damian Riley said: “A cardiac arrest can be really frightening even for trained professionals who have seen them time and time again.

“The response to this incident - from both clinical and non-clinical staff - was really fantastic. In our jobs we are all humans looking after other humans and that’s what it boils down to. We are immensely proud of the care that our staff provide to patients and the community.”